Medical services are traditionally provided to individuals at a doctor's office or medical facility. Typically, an individual contacts his/her medical provider when the individual requires some type of medical assistance. The medical provider then sets an appointment time and date for the individual to see the medical provider. Many times, the time and date of the appointment are inconvenient for the individual. Furthermore, the individual seeking medical assistance may desire or need more immediate medical assistance and cannot wait for the time and date set by the medical provider. In such situations, the individual goes to the emergency room of a hospital or some type of medical clinic (e.g., Minute Clinic, Take Care Clinic, Urgent Care Clinic, etc.), assuming that such clinics are available or convenient to visit.
The costs associated with visiting a medical provider can be costly depending on the type of insurance, if any, the individual carries. When an individual visits the emergency room of a hospital, the medical costs can be substantially higher and insurance coverage may be limited to various types of visits. Insurance coverage and cost of the visit may also vary at various clinics. In many communities, clinics are not readily available, thus the individual must either visit the medical provider or go to the hospital.
Various pharmacy and drug stores have begun offering medical services on their premises. These locations generally offer flu shots and very basic medical services, and are typically provided by a nurse practitioner, not a doctor. As such, only very limited types of medical services are offered at such locations. Also, these locations are not offered in a private environment. Generally, the services are provided in a side corridor or partitioned location in the facility.
In view of the current state of the medical services, there is a need for providing medical services in a more convenient, desirable, timely and cost effective manner.